Conventional absorbent articles of the type mentioned above usually have a flat shape. Since the female pubic region does not have a corresponding flat appearance, problems can occur when applying and wearing such articles. The contact of the article against the body is not optimum, and when a gap develops there is a great risk of leakage. In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to make the absorbent articles cup-shaped rather than flat. By and large, this shape provides a better fit to the contours of the body. The cup shape is produced, for example, by arranging an elastic member in the longitudinal edges of the article, or the article is molded in a cup shape in a more or less stiff material.
A problem with articles of the above-mentioned type is that they do not adapt to the anatomy of the user particularly well, but simply have a general cup-shaped appearance. An article shaped in this way does not provide a good fit against the body. In addition, a gap can easily occur between the user's body and the user's briefs since most women, during menstruation, wear briefs which are of poor quality from the outset or are of poor quality because they are old and worn. Unless either the absorbent article or the briefs are able to maintain a good contact with the user's body, there is a great risk of menstruation fluid leaking past both the absorbent article and the briefs.
WO 97107764 discloses an incontinence product having longitudinally extending elasticated means providing a longitudinal ridge in the central portion of the product, by bending the absorbent body and thereby the whole absorbent article. The product has a generally curved shape in the longitudinal direction and is stated to provide improved body contact in the central area of the product.
Even though the longitudinal ridge provides improved body contact in the central portion of the article, a problem with a construction of the type mentioned is that the elastic member bends the absorbent body in the central area only and that the ridge is located only in the central area, and thereby allowing body fluids to migrate between the buttocks of the user when the user is lying down on her back.
It is also known from WO 99/25282 an absorbent article where an elastic member is arranged in the article and gives the article a cup-shaped part at one end portion and a ridge-like elevation at the other end portion. The elastic member may be arranged in a loop in the front portion, which has a cup-shaped part, and where the elastic member in a loop contributes to giving the front portion its cup shape. The elastic member may also be arranged as a continuous thread or band running through the entire article, and in order to further improve the anatomical fit against the user's body for an article with a ridge-like elevation, which extends across both the central portion of the article and across the rear portion thereof, the ridge-like elevation in the end portion has a steeper inclination towards the center line of the article than does the ridge-like elevation in the central portion, as seen from a long side of the article. The cup shape of the front portion will surround the mons pubis during use, and the ridge-like elevation of the rear portion will fit in the cleft between the user's buttocks.
Even though the ridge-like elevation, which extends across both the central portion of the article and across the rear portion thereof, provides improved body contact in the central portion and the rear portion of the article. A problem with a construction of the type mentioned is that the elastic member bends the entire absorbent body. If the absorbent body is too soft, the elastic member bends the article too much, which may result in a bad fit, and if the absorbent body is too stiff the central portion may become bulky and uncomfortable for the user. A bulky or wrinkled ridge-like elevation may not be high enough and/or thin enough to provide sufficient protection for leakage of body fluids between the buttocks of the user when the user is lying down on her back. Another problem is that the ridge-like elevation consists of the thick and relatively stiff absorbent body, which give the ridge-like elevation a triangular shape, which makes the ridge-like elevation relatively wide and thereby hard to fit between the buttocks of a user.
It is also known absorbent articles, which are provided with a deformation element, which causes the article to assume a predetermined shape in response to laterally acting forces.
A problem with deformation elements is that they are expensive and are time consuming and difficult to apply to the article.
Whilst previously known absorbent articles provide relatively good leakage protection and relatively good fit, a need still exists for an absorbent article which further increases the comfort by being small and flexible, and also further reduces the risk of leakage of body fluids between the buttocks of a user lying down on her back, and that the article still is easy and cheap to manufacture. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article that meets these requirements.